Malmo wins grand prize at renewable energy community awards

The awards ceremony took place at the Conference on the Campaign for Take-Off for Renewables, in Toulouse, France. Prizes were also awarded to Biogas from Waste and Agriculture, at the University of Southern Denmark, for the best national renewable energy partnership, and to the Prosol Programme of the Junta de Andalucia, Spain, for the best regional renewable energy partnership.

The award for the best industrial renewable energy partnership was presented to a bioethanol programme in Abengoa, Spain, with further awards to a Danish renewable energy island concept in Samso, Denmark, and the Administrative district of Luechow-Dannenberg, Germany. A special prize for the most promising renewable energy partnership was awarded to a solar thermal system with natural gas back-up programme in Italy.

“The aim of the Renewable Energy Partnership is to produce ‘Added Value’ at Union level, by ensuring optimal awareness of and recourse to existing EU programmes to ensure optimal effect for Member States’ and industry’s Renewable Energy programmes and operations,” said Ms Loyola de Palacio, Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for Energy and Transport Policy.

The Campaign for Take-Off, is designed to kick-start investment in renewable energy in key sectors and achieve substantial new investment by 2003. The trend towards private investment is being stimulated through a range of public relations activities, by raising awareness and highlighting investment opportunities.